The Japanese Premier wants to fulfil Bose’s dream and strengthen bilateral ties between India and Japan, report Nandini Guha and Mou Chakraborty.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Japan were all Premiere Shinzo Abe could talk about on Thursday afternoon, when he came calling at Netaji Bhaban — the house where the freedom fighter lived — for a 30-minute visit just before leaving for Malaysia.

“I have a strong determination to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Japan. That was Bose’s dream,” said Abe, after walking through Netaji’s drawing room which the leader used as President of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and 1939.

“But it was the museum which hogged his attention — specially two photographs of Netaji, one with Gandhi and one with Tagore,” said Krishna Bose, chairperson of the Netaji Research Bureau.

Abe also spent some time at Tagore’s ancestral house at Jorasanko. He was taken on a special tour to Jorasanko Thakurbari – Japan Gallery. The gallery has various pictures, paintings and mementos that depict Tagore’s relation with Japan. Abe paid floral tributes to Tagore at the rooms where the poet was born and died.

The Japanese Premier inaugurated Indo-Japan cultural centre and the Rabindra-Okakura Bhaban.